Category Archives: Fun

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Far out! Jamboree on the Air event crosses the final frontier

22 October 2012

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How do you expand the reach of an event that’s already global?

Find something out of this world.

This weekend, the National Scouting Museum became the only Jamboree on the Air location on earth to enable 10 Scouts to directly communicate with the International Space Station as it hovered 255 miles above Earth.

The turnout was great, and — as you can see above — the event caught the eye of local news stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Scouts chatted with NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who holds the record for the longest space flight by a woman. It was all part of JOTA, the annual event that links Scouts around the world.

The long-distance call was made possible through a program from NASA and the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. It is one in a series of educational activities in the United States and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

If you weren’t there in person, you can watch a stream of the event here.

Final thought: Anyone want to guess how long until Scouts are talking to someone on Mars?

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What’s the longest pinewood derby in the world? Guess again

16 October 2012

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The track stretched 335 feet, 6 inches. That’s 111 yards, for you football fans out there.

If most pinewood derbies are sprints, consider this one the Boston Marathon.

Earlier this month, the Boston Minuteman Council broke the Guinness World Record with a pinewood derby track stretching 335 feet, 6 inches. That beat the previous record by more than 70 feet.

Just how long was the track? Imagine you’re standing on the goal line of a football field. The track would stretch just past the back of the end zone on the other side.

Or consider this comparison: Most tracks, including the one I raced on as a Cub Scout, are 30 to 40 feet long, making this one roughly 10 times longer.

The design was inspired by the Zakim Bridge in Boston.

And they did it in style. The track, which started at a height of 15 feet, was modeled after Boston’s Zakim Bridge (seen at right), the world’s widest cable-stayed bridge.

The record-breaking attempt was part of the council’s SOAR (Scouting’s Outdoor Adventure on the River) event. Just from browsing the event’s Web site, it looked like a blast.

Congrats to all involved in this exciting accomplishment!

MTB-Blog

Get gritty: Celebrate ‘Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day’

5 October 2012

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Do your typical weekend plans involve dirt and Scouting? Step things up a notch! Add some rubber to the mix with a mountain-biking outing.

Tomorrow’s the perfect time to head out to your local mountain-biking trail to celebrate Saturday Oct. 6 as “Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day” hosted by the International Mountain Biking Association.

Check out this interactive map of the U.S. to locate a “Take a Kid Mountain Biking” event near you.

Young mountain bikers—from Tiger Cubs to older Scouts and Venturers—will stun you with how easily they pedal on gritty surfaces. Their catlike reflexes allow them to zip around sharp turns like Indy-500 drivers!

Besides being a great way to get some exercise and add a new activity to your troop or crew, a mountain-biking trip is a good excuse to get Scouts ready for what they’ll experience at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree. The home of the jamboree, the brand-new Summit Bechtel Reserve, touts a three-tier trail system allowing Scouts to choose the difficulty of their mountain-biking experience (shown in the photo above).

Before you head out, be sure to review page 34 of the Guide to Safe Scouting for information on cycling safety.

And don’t forget to “Like” the International Mountain Biking Association on Facebook and enter to win one of two Specialized mountain bikes.

Wherever (and whenever) you choose to mountain bike, we hope you and your Scouts enjoy the ride.

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The Ultimate List of Scouting Apps

9 August 2012

79 Comments

Once upon a time, we used maps printed on paper to find our way. We studied laminated sky charts to identify constellations. We counted seconds after thunder strikes to locate storms.

What were we thinking?

Today, thanks to the ubiquitous smartphone, we can do all that and more with a few taps.

As Scout leaders, we can now carry a library, GPS, weather radio, compass, map, camera, and field guide in our pocket. But which apps are worth downloading or — in some cases — paying for?

I tapped our Facebook friends to find out.  Continue reading »

Where Am I - Golden Arches

May-June ‘Where Am I?’ winner and location revealed

26 June 2012

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The May-June “Where Am I?” contest was tough, judging from the relatively small number of guesses. Only 315 entries were received, compared to 666 in the March-April contest. Many readers guessed “Arches National Park.” However, the true location of this picture is thousands of miles away from the sunburnt-orange Utah arches.

The answer? Twin Arches at Big South Fork National River and Recreation area in Tennessee. Congratulations to our winner, Lynn Jaffe, a committee member with Troop 719 in the Old Hickory Council, North Carolina.

And, just because we know you like a challenge, try your geography skills at a new “Where Am I?” contest starting today. Scouting magazine takes a break from printing in the summer months, but we’re still hosting a contest to keep our readers sharp. The same rules apply: Read the clues, examine the photo, and submit your guess. We’ll randomly select a correct guess to award one winner a $100 Supply Group gift card.

The “Where Am I?” — Sculpted Solace contest ends Aug. 13.

Good luck!

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Points in the Paint: Ohio troop’s trailer a slam dunk for the BSA

18 June 2012

17 Comments

Want to get your unit’s recruiting up to speed?

Consider hauling your “Join Scouting” message everywhere your pack, troop, team, or crew travels.

Start by taking a page from Canton, Ohio, Troop 4’s playbook, which just wrapped its trailer with a complete visual history of the unit.

Michael Gorfido, assistant Scoutmaster, writes that the trailer has been “completely wrapped with graphics that tell the whole Troop 4 history in picture form and a nifty timeline that features WD Boyce, Baden-Powell, handbooks for each period, and the history of Scouting, including the 100th year celebration. It’s really cool.”

Troop 4 was formed in 1915, making it the oldest continually chartered troop in the Buckeye Council, Gorfido says.

“Our troop has more than 150 Eagles, a storied history of very committed Scoutmasters, has participated in Pipestone every year, Klondike, and goes to Philmont every other year,” Gorfido continues. “I transferred my son there two years ago because of the rich heritage and wanted him to experience that.”

Find some more photos of Troop 4′s mobile masterpiece below. Continue reading »

Mike-Rowe

Video: Eagle Scout Mike Rowe shares his Scouting story

15 June 2012

20 Comments

Here’s a new job for Mike Rowe, he of Dirty Jobs fame: Keynote speaker at a gathering of BSA professionals and volunteers.

Rowe traded his usual duds — well, he kept the jeans — for a nicely pressed shirt at this month’s National Annual Meeting in Orlando.

The Eagle Scout and Discovery Channel star who bulldozed his way onto the Scouting scene at the 2010 jamboree earned the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award at the event. Then he gave a 20-minute, off-the-cuff speech that you won’t want to miss.

Check it out:  Continue reading »

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Room for one more? Your ideas for the 13th point of the Scout Law

6 June 2012

40 Comments

Don’t panic! The Scout Law isn’t changing.

Why mess with something that’s been guiding Boy Scouts in this country since 1911?

The BSA’s version  — one of several variations from around the world — is a slight tweak from the 10 original points Baden-Powell published in his Scouting for Boys in 1908.

We all know it well, right? Say it with me: A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

Sounds good. But 100-plus years after it was written, it’s fun to think about what — if anything — is missing from the list. What would make a good 13th point for the Scout Law?

I turned to our Facebook friends, and many said they use this same question in Eagle Boards of Review.

Here are the top responses, sorted by number of mentions:

Continue reading »

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How to follow the Boy Scouts car at the Indy 500

25 May 2012

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Scouters and Scouts, start your televisions.

The Indianapolis 500, easily the best-known auto race of the year, is Sunday.

I’ve always enjoyed watching, but ever since the BSA IndyCar debuted in 2010, I’ve had even more reason to tune in to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

This year, driver James Jakes takes the wheel of the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing/Boy Scouts of America car.

Jakes, one of eight rookies in the race, will start in the sixth row, sandwiched between Dario Franchitti and J.R. Hildebrand, who finished second in last year’s Indy 500.

Plan to watch? Here’s all you need to know about the 96th edition of this event:

Continue reading »

Buff-Giveaway-Blog

Enter to win a Buff in the Gotcha Covered Giveaway

1 May 2012

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When our gear guru Stephen Regenold (founder of thegearjunkie.com) selects items for Scouting magazine’s “Great Gear” column, he uses two important criteria when making his final selections: style and function. Buff headwear—featured in our May-June issue—meets both of these standards.

That’s why we decided to snag a handful of Buffs to give back to our readers: Enter our GOTCHA COVERED GIVEAWAY for a chance to win one of 10 Buffs. This contest will end in one week, on Monday, May 7.

Continue reading »